Queen's restoration

After a two-month rehab following an arthroscopic surgery in July, Zheng, world No 4 in June, tried to return at her home WTA1000 tournament in Beijing at the end of September, yet had to retire in just her second outing, against Czech ace Linda Noskova, following an opening win over Colombia's Emiliana Arango, due to the remaining discomfort in her elbow.

The home favorite, anointed "Queen Wen" by her fans, admitted that she'd perhaps been too hasty.

"The 2025 season didn't go the way I'd expected," Zheng, who is now ranked 24th in the world, told media during a fashion event at the House of Dior in Beijing on Dec 11.

"It took me longer than expected to recover from the surgery, and it's been the first time in my career that I've missed so many competitions," said the 23-year-old, who's won five singles titles on the WTA Tour.

"I had some breakthroughs as well this year, but it's not enough. My goal for next year is to stay healthy, complete a full season and do better at the WTA1000 tournaments and the Slams.

"I will take it easy, though.

"To start it all over again after such a long break will be challenging for sure."

The progression of Zheng's game, as long as she's healthy, shouldn't be overlooked, though.

During a high-energy spring stretch, Zheng fought into back-to-back WTA1000 quarterfinals at Indian Wells and Miami, pulled off her career-first win against bitter rival Aryna Sabalenka en route to reaching the semis in Rome, followed by her first quarterfinal berth at Roland Garros that propelled her to the highest ranking of No 4, before the elbow pain put her season on hold after an opening loss at Wimbledon.

Zheng was still voted as the WTA's Singles Fan Favorite of the Year in 2025, and finished as the fifth highest-paid female athlete in the world, earning $1.6 million from prize money and $21 million from endorsement deals, according to Forbes.